This article considers the history of the emergence and construction of the Moscow Cathe- dral Mosque. For the Muslims of our country the Moscow Cathedral Mosque represents a symbol of a steadfast faith, which went through the ordeal of the theomachist era; it represents brotherhood, unity with their brothers in faith from many re- gions and countries. It is also a nota- ble architectural and historic mon- ument, which unites the work and endeavors of Muslims of different times and ethnicities. On the basis of archival and historical sources, the article describes the construction of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque, which took only a few months, and it was an unprecedented fact in the life of Muslims of the Russian Empire. The detailed analysis is performed on the stage preceding the construc- tion of the mosque, when the second Muslim parish of Moscow emerged. 

The article examines the role of religious and ideological factor in shaping the parameters of Russian identity. Relying on the empirical data of the 2015 studies of the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, an analysis is carries out on the concept and problematic of Russian identity, patriotism, the common grounds of inter-religious cooperation, conjugation of state and ethno-confessional parameters among the followers of Orthodox Christianity and Islam. 

The article examines the role and place of Muslim ethnic groups of the North Caucasus in the process of addition of single Russian nation, strengthening its statehood, the formation of civil society institutions. Value of the religious sphere in the life of the Russian society, the state and confessional relations in the conditions of modern realities taking into account an inevitable globalization factor is analyzed. As important factors to the North Caucasian society is the question of human security, economic well-being, quality of education and health, preservation of native languages and cultures. 

The article is devoted to characteristics of religious-cultural autonomy of tatars-Muslims which was a system of implementation of their spiritual and cultural needs in the context of Muslim parishes of the district of the Orenburg Mohammedan spiritual assembly and of its main segments through the prism of different legal systems, such as standards of shari’a, customary right and Russian laws. 

Abaza people, being a part of Adyghe-Abkhaz ethnic group, live in the Northwest Caucasus. In the second half of the XIX century there was a relocation of a large group of Abaza to the territory of the Ottoman Empire; an important cause of migration was the religious factor. The best preserved Abaza diaspora today is living in Turkey. Compact, ethnically homogeneous settlements of Abaza allowed preserving their language and traditional culture up to the present time; the Islamic factor played a positive role in the consolidation of the overseas Abaza community, though, to some extent, it has led to the phenomenon of a divided nation. 

Speaking about religious life in the Soviet period Abaza from North Caucasus were experiencing the same difficulties as the entire population of the country, but Islam was still the one of the signs of national identity. In the post-Soviet period there was a large-scale appeal to Islam; Islam became a positive factor for the consolidation of the people, maintaining social equilibrium in Abaza community. 

Modern trends in the development of Abaza community allow us to make the assumption that the position and role of Islam will be strengthened. In the current official policy of Turkey, Islam is becoming increasingly important reference point in social development. It is safe to say that communication between Russian and Turkish Abaza communities will continue to develop and in the future it will lead to further strengthening of the position of Islam and the influence of the Islamic factor in the many spheres of Abaza life in Russia. 

The article analyzes the methodological aspects of the revival of Muslim communities in post-Soviet Russia: conceptual, functional, structural, historical, economic, demographic aspects. Clarifies the concept of «Mahalla» and its main characteristics, discusses the various interpretations of the role and place of pre-revolutionary community in the social life of Muslim Tatars, as well as works devoted to finding the most effective mechanisms of its formation and functioning in modern conditions. 

In the article the official state doctrine of Ottoman Empire is considered. Sultan Abdul Hamid II, who came to power in 1876, together with quite extensive possessions inherited problems in foreign policy issues, and the internal instability of the Ottoman Empire. They were the main factor in the finalization of the official state doctrine of Islamism that replaced the Ottomanism doctrine. 

The Arab countries (AC), which a thousand years ago surpassed many regions of the world by levels of development, have up to now, in contrast to China, India, newly industrialized countries, and a number of other Muslim countries (Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia), failed on the whole to create more or less steady mechanism of modern economic growth. Despite substantial resources that some of AC possess, most of them lag behind fast developing countries by levels of physical and human capital accumulation and efficiency of governance. In order to curtail the high level of instability in AC, it is urgent, though not very easy to implement in a short period of time, to realize a series of pragmatic reforms aimed at reducing corruption, restoring the rule of law and diversifying production and export structures of their economies. 

The article analyses problems of peculiarities of russian identity in the context of modern challenges. It is stressed that the problems Russia faces nowadays are part of crisis of identity of all modern civilization, especially its industrial and postindustrial constituent. The author’s idea is that there is the crisis of identity, which has become the source of global challenges threatening the future of mankind. The imperative of modern civilizations in capability to unite truth and virtue, knowledge and faith. 

The article is devoted to research of processes of formation and development of the Azerbaijani nation at a boundary of the XIX–XX centuries. It is shown that the Azerbaijani nation is result not only objective historical processes, but also purposeful activity of representatives of the national intellectuals of the beginning of the XX century, and also government institutions of ADR. The special attention in the article is give to coverage of a main role of outstanding representatives of the Azerbaijani intellectuals — F. Akhundov, G. Zardabi, A. Guseynzade, A. Agayev and M. E. Rasulzade in development of bases and the statement among Azerbaijani turks of total national identity. 

Staffing in religious organizations in many respects determines the future of church-state relations. The analysis of personnel potential of Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Bashkortostan on the example of its functional units — muhtasibats allows us to give an overall assessment of the situation, vision of the future and, basing on this, to make recommendations that strengthen personnel potential of Muslim religious organizations. 

The article deals with the various aspects of the political discourse of Islam. Attempts to analyze the methods of using by different political actors of the religious factor, as a resource for political purposes. It shown on the basis of qualitative and quantitative content analysis that cultural and civilizational specificity of Russia, centuries-old tradition of peaceful coexistence of different religions is one of the main obstacles to the spread of religious extremism. 

This article is devoted to the problem of interpretation of religious conflicts of the Early Modern Period. Particular attention is paid to the views of Hugo Grotius – the founder of the rationalistic school of Natural Law. The author emphasizes the landmark significance of his doctrine in the transition from the theological to the rationalist approach in assessing the principles and norms of armed conflicts. 

The author of this article argues that communication is the basis for the construction of social communities, institutions and organizations, as well as the basis of existence of the very institute of statehood. Civilizational society preserves its national, ethnic and religious fundamentals that sustain identities of nations and ethnicities. Civilizational identity in modern Russia is based on the preservation of a Russian cultural dominant, whose bearers are represented not only by ethnic Russians, but rather by all bearers of such an identity, regardless of their ethnicity. A civic identity of new Russia rests upon civilization principles that symbolize the integrity of the millennial Russian history. Destructive activity of many a force of super-cultural and super-religious nature is aimed at inciting enmity between people. A super-cultural path of development is primarily directed to the support of material life forms, while an attempt to develop statehood solely on super-religious level only destroys an integrating structuring of ethnic and confessional space. 

Nowadays the issues of religion mission and responsibility of its followers to modern challenges, including the education system, which is a unique opportunity to plan the impact on the formation of moral guidelines of the youth, become relevant. 

We believe that Modern Islamic education and programs on Islamic themes should use the learning traditions of the Islamic world and education in Russia in particular, on the one hand, and on the other hand, should apply competence approach which includes innovative methods of education designed to educate those people who are able to develop a dialogue of cultures, and analyze the ethnic and confessional situation. In Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod some experience in promoting educational programs on Islamic themes in a multicultural space of the Nizhny Novgorod region has been gained. 

The development of Islamic culture in Uzbekistan, its synthesis with local pre-Arab culture and questions of its renaissance in the period of independence and the problem of its studying in higher educational institutions of Republic Uzbekistan are analyzed in the article . 

The article offers a review of the 12th International Scientific and Educational Conference ‘Faizkhanov’s Readings’ that took place on August 27–29, 2015 in Nizhniy Novgorod. The main theses of the participants are presented and the outcomes of the Conference fixed in the final resolution are analyzed. It can be concluded that organization of the annual conference ‘Faizkhanov’s Readings’ is a worthy experience of educational work and a benchmark event in the spiritual, educational and scientific work of our country. The special importance is attached to the fact that the conference was organized in the framework of the 2014–2016 Action Plan for the training of advanced specialists in the history and culture of Islam approved by an Executive order of the Russian Government on May 14, 2014, as well as in the framework of the 2005–1015 Comprehensive program on the development of religious education approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation on November 15, 2005. 

THE TRAINING OF ISLAMICISTS WAS DISCUSSED AT SAINT PETERSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY